


In Our Living Room

by screamlet



Category: Modern Family (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-03
Updated: 2010-10-03
Packaged: 2017-10-12 09:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamlet/pseuds/screamlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little more detail on how Cam and Mitchell got together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Our Living Room

**Author's Note:**

> For [](http://community.livejournal.com/grabi_hands/56669.html?replyto=751453&style=mine)a prompt on [](http://community.livejournal.com/grabi_hands/56669.html)accentuate the positive: _I would love love lovelovelove any sort of stories of when Mitch and Cam started dating and/or Mitch bringing Cam around to the family. general family sweetness for their ~love~ etc._ It's super short because I thought it would be a comment fic, but then it got just a liiiiiittle too long. w/e, here it is. Also refers to the [](http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject)It Gets Better Project.

"How me and Cam got together," Mitchell laughs. "Okay... I came out when I had just turned 25, and I was living in New York, going to Columbia, so I... dated a bit."

"Slut," Cam notes.

"Oh my God, really? Really? That's what you're --"

"My slutty little city mouse," Cam beams.

Mitchell stares at him for a moment, blinks slowly, and then continues.

" _Anyway._  New York is... it's a pretty amazing place to be gay, and I think it's an even better place to come out. I dated a few guys while I was out there. And I guess just to... yeah, just to spite my dad, I would make sure that I always mentioned whoever I was seeing to him. Like: I'm here, I'm queer, and  _this guy, Randy_  is coming over in a few minutes, so I'll have to make it quick, Dad. So, obviously, I was surprised when my dad called even less. And then I kind of stopped dating."

"And then you moved back to California..."

"And then I moved back to California and tried to find the same kind of... scene, I guess, and that's how I found our friend Pepper."

"And then, eventually, you found me."

"I did," Mitchell grins. "And you were -- are so -- I think I was embarrassed of how much I liked you --"

"Things to note about Mitchell: when he starts blushing, he's completely incapacitated, so I'll take over."

*

"The piano in  _Casablanca_  is pretty much a supporting character," Cam informed him. "Papers hidden in it, people leaning on it, it's such a fixture, and it's like a  _beacon_  when Ilsa requests that song on it -- I don't know how else you could have mimed  _Casablanca_."

"We should go out for coffee!" Mitchell said suddenly. "I think you're really cool!"

"Was 'cool' one of your LSAT vocab words?"

"LSAT doesn't have a vocab section."

"Let's go out for coffee."

*

Cam just laughs and laughs. Mitchell sighs.

*

"I'm a high school music teacher."

"Oh my God, teaching  _high school_? Is it awful? I always imagined teaching high school would be the absolute worst."

"I love it."

"Oh."

"Teenagers are pills, of course, but I teach music, run the drama club, the Gay-Straight Alliance, the school paper, coach a little football, and -- well, they all know I  _do not fuck around_ , so it's a nice little niche I've made for myself!"

"The scary gay-friendly music teacher who will fuck your shit up and take names while he's kicking ass."

"Exactly! I should add that to my c.v."

*

"I hate -- uh, in that way where I don't hate it  _at all_  and I kind of love it  _shut up Cam_  -- how -- well, okay, like I said: I kind of had a patchy history. Being secretly gay at school and making out with those guys who didn't want to come out of the closet, and then --"

"The slutty city years."

"I wasn't slutty! But, yes, then casually dating in the city, and... I hate how I met Cam and after one cup of coffee, I just knew. Every part of me just kind of screamed:  _Do not mess this up. How many gay music teaching ex-linebackers with formal clown training do you meet every day, Mitchell? NONE, THAT'S HOW MANY. So don't mess this up._ "

"Why do you hate that?"

"Because stuff like that doesn't happen in real life! Or, it shouldn't. Or --"

"But it does."

"...Yeah, okay, maybe, but..."

"It does."

Mitchell takes Cam's hand and looks into the camcorder Phil has set up, and he motions for the whole family to come around to where they're sitting.

"Okay, we probably should have made a script or something, but, sorry," Mitchell says. "Anyway. It gets better." He turns slightly in his chair and grabs Jay's arm and then looks back to the camera. "This is my dad, who stopped calling me when I came out, and we  _got better_. It took time and work, but we got better." He lets go of Jay and laughs as he adds, "And this is our family -- our huge, crazy family -- and we want this for you, okay? Things you can't possibly imagine are going to come your way, but you have to be around to see it, so. Please. Stick around."

Phil runs around, shuts off the camcorder, and announces, "Okay, who wants to come see me upload this to youtube?"

Everyone is silent until Mitchell announces, "Lunch is on us!" The kids cheer and Claire ushers everyone into the dining room, but Jay walks off down the hall. Mitchell stops and asks, "Dad, where are you going?"

"Bathroom. Pollen count's high today."

"The pollen count in our living room?" Cam asks.

"Quiet, Cam," Jay replies. "Get me a beer, will you?"

"Check the medicine cabinet, we should have some Zyrtec in there, next to the handcuffs and the complete discography of Barbara Streisand," Mitchell says, but he puts his hands up in surrender when Jay points at him. 

"You don't make it easy," Cam says as he leads Mitchell into the dining room.

"...if it were easy, then it wouldn't be fun."

"I hope you remember that when Lily is thirteen and wants to go on birth control."

Mitchell chokes on nothing and Cam wanders off to order them all pizza.


End file.
